Love is Strange
by Boys3allC
Summary: My take on what could happen after the season finale. Bughead.


**This is my first non Big Bang Theory fan-fic. I started watching Riverdale on Netflix and got hooked Just what I think could happen after the season finale. I do not own these characters.**

When Archie told Betty he didn't feel that way about her. He had lied, to spare her feelings. He thought it would hurt her more to hear the truth. That he did love her. Only he knew if he allowed himself to be with her now. That would be the end of it. He would fall hopelessly in love with her. They would be engaged by the time they left high school. Married by the time they were out of college. He would give up his dreams of being a musician. Get his degree in business, take over his dad's company. Then he and Betty would have two perfect children, live in a perfect house. Just like their parents before them.

Archie wasn't ready for all of that yet. He wanted to date other girls, try to succeed at music. Yet in the back of his mind he wanted that vision of himself and Betty in the future to be an option to. He wanted to put her on a shelf and have her waiting for him when he was ready. He thought in the back of his mind that she would always be waiting for him. She may have waited for him, until Jughead came out of nowhere and stolen her away.

Archie didn't even think Jughead liked girls. He had never mentioned anything to Archie. Yet when Archie would point out a cute girl Jughead would just shrug it off, or change the subject. Jughead never even talked about famous girls. All he cared about was movies, and books, and now Betty. They had all been friends their entire lives. Jughead had never mentioned liking Betty to him. Archie knew she was one of the few people in the world that Jughead could stand. She was one of those kinds of people everyone loved a little. Archie thought of themselves like the big brothers that Betty never had. They loved her to the ends of the earth, and they would do anything to protect her.

At first Archie thought he was fine with this new relationship. Then Archie had felt the first wave of jealousy when he saw Jughead wrap his arm around Betty. He thought Betty would shake his arm off. He wanted to tell Jughead off for her. Instead she had started stroking his fingers. It felt like a punch to the gut, and he couldn't say anything. He had cast her aside. Now all he could do was support thought it would pass, that they would realize that they were complete opposites and break up.

After a few weeks Archie got used to seeing his two best friends together. His gut didn't clench when they touched anymore. He didn't feel like gagging when he saw the way Betty looked at Jughead. That look of total love and devotion that he thought was just for him. Then he saw them that day he took Betty to Southside High to find him. The way Betty melted into Jughead, the way he looked at her like she was the most precious thing on earth. What Veronica said was right, they were soul mates. They weren't breaking up anytime soon, maybe ever. Archie realized what a fool he had been. Throwing away a girl like her. What they had was what he wanted. What he could have had. He wasn't going to find that with Veronica. With her it was all about physical attraction. He was done with that kind of relationship. He was ready for more and he wasn't going to give up until he had Betty back.

Now he might have a chance. Something had happened between them after the jubilee. Jughead had gone into recluse mode. Betty was moping around school. He had seen her crying in the hall talking to Veronica. When he walked up she dried her eyes and pasted a fake smile in her face. He knew that smile all too well. It meant she was hiding something from him.

"Are you okay Betty?" he asked her.

"I'm fine Archie. I've got to get going." she says smiling at him again. "Talk to you later okay Veronica?" Then she turned and hurried down the hall.

"What's going on with her?" he asked Veronica who just smiled at him condescendingly and patted his cheek. He hated how Veronica treated him sometimes. Like he was a dumb beefcake who couldn't understand anything.

"Boy troubles Archiekins. You wouldn't understand."

"I'm a guy, I could help." Archie told her ,looking at Betty's retreating figure down the hall. "Did Jughead do something to her? If he did I'll kill him."

"No need to throw down the gauntlet. " Veronica sighs linking her arm with his and kissing his cheek. "They just had their first disagreement. Bound to happen sometime. We'll have ours someday too." Veronica says tiptoeing up to reach his cheek.

He lets her kiss him. She thinks this will make him forget all about Betty. She's wrong. The longer he's with her. The more time they spend together, he realizes they aren't right for each other. She dazzled him at first with her beauty and sophistication. Now he wants someone more down to earth. Someone who can leave the house without a full face of make up. Or who doesn't worry about every outfit she wears. The someone he wants is Betty.

"I could talk to him." Archie said to her.

"Listen Archie." Veronica said stopping in the middle of the hall. "I know you've got this big brother. Little sister relationship going on with Betty.I love that you want to protect her. But Betty is a big girl now. She's got to figure things out on her own. Without you swooping in trying to fix them."

"Fine." Archie says not meaning it.

"Soo… My mom will be out tonight. Want to come to my house tonight?"

"I can't" Archie said distracted.

"Why not?" Veronica pouted.

"I've got to work on my music tonight." he lies. Really he will be at Pop's Chock Lit shop trying to find a black haired little weasel.

Jughead

Jughead has been in love with Betty as long as he can remember. So much in love with her that he made a vow with himself that if he couldn't have her. Then he didn't want anyone. He didn't see other girls the way he saw Betty. Other girls were loud, and boring, there was nothing behind the eyes. Betty Cooper was the whole package kind, intelligent, and her green eyes sparkled with life.

Jughead also knew that Betty would never return his feelings. That even if she did care about him a little , she was Archie's girl. It had always been the three of them. Jughead had always been the third wheel. He thought it was an unspoken agreement that when the time came Archie and Betty would be together. They would be the picture perfect couple. Have the picture perfect marriage, two perfect children, and live happily ever after. Leaving him to retreat into the shadows. Coming out at the appropriate times to be the best man at their wedding, be uncle Juggy to their children. Never letting on how much it was breaking his heart.

Only things didn't go as planned. When Betty had laid her heart out to Archie, he had stomped all over it. Jughead couldn't believe it. He thought Archie loved Betty as much as he did. He was slowly learning, that all the things he thought he knew were wrong. Jughead was torn between wanting to kick Archies ass for hurting Betty. Or wanting to hug him for finally giving him a chance with her.

Jughead tried not to swoop in on her immediately. Archie may not have wanted Betty but that didn't mean that Betty would want him back. Betty everything that ,he wasn't, from a good family, she was a good girl , with the whole world at her feet. He was just a trailer park loser, with a criminal father, fighting for everything he had. Betty was the only light in his dark world.

Jughead thought he could settle for just being near her. Working with her on the Blue and Gold was as close as he would ever get to being with her. Only the more time he spent with her. The closer he got, the more harder he fell her. Betty was more than the bubbly personality she showed the world. There was a darkness to her. Her life wasn't sunshine and rainbows like. Her parents were just as fucked up as his. He could tell that it embarrassed Betty. For him to see the Cooper's weren't as perfect as they pretended to be. It only made him love Betty more. To see how strong she really was. How she prevailed and thrived even though her home life was messed up.

When he hadn't meant to kiss her the first time. He had just wanted to comfort her. He knew she must have been freaking out. Then she had opened up to him. He had so many words on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell her that she would always be perfect to him. Even if she was crazy, her family was crazy, nothing would ever make him not love her. That he had always loved her. That she was the only girl he would ever love, and even if she didn't love him back. It didn't matter to him. He would still be there beside her. He would do anything for her. Instead of saying all that and scaring her away. He had kissed her, tried to pour all the emotions he was feeling inside her. It was his first kiss and he was worried that she could tell. If she could, she didn't say anything. She just kissed him back and he felt like he was floating above himself. Until she pulled away.

The last few months with her had been the happiest in his life. Being with Betty was better than he ever imagined it could be. Mostly because he had never let himself imagine it too much. Good things never happened to him. His life had been filled with misery. Betty was the one good thing in his life. Then true to form his family couldn't let him just be happy. His dad had to go and fuck everything up for him again. As if forcing him to be homeless, and taking his mom and sister away from him weren't enough.

Turning the best night of his life. Into one of the worst nights. Betty had just told him that she loved him. Words he had wanted to hear since he met her in second grade. He was about to make love to the only woman he would ever love. When his dad's cock blocking goons knocked on the door.

He had to accept his father's jacket. There was no refusing them. If he had tried they would have beaten him in front of Betty. Forced their way inside and made him see their way of thinking. To protect her he had to take it without comment. To protect her he really should leave town completely. Ghost out of her life, and hope she forgot him. Even if he would never forget her, never stop loving her. Betty told him she needed space to think about what had happened. He was worried that meant she was breaking up with him. Either way he was sure he was losing the best thing that had ever happened to him.

He's at Pop's drowning his sorrows in milkshakes. When he sees Archie walk in the door. He has been avoiding him too. Worried that Betty told him about the serpents. Worried what his reaction will be. He can't lose his girl and his best friend in the same week. His expression is closed off and angry, he knows Jughead thinks bracing himself for Archies anger.

"Betty's been crying over you all week. Where have you been" Archie says sliding into the booth across from him. So Betty hasn't said anything about the visit from the serpents to anyone. Without him even asking, and without him deserving it, she has stayed silent.

"I need my space." He shrugs. It's a shit answer and he knows it. He can't tell Archie that he's been afraid that if he talks to Betty it will mean the end of them. He'd rather his last memory of her be her telling him she loved him. Then her telling him goodbye.

"What the hell man?" Archie says looking disgusted. He can't blame him, he's disgusted by himself. He just shrugs and lays his head on the table. Too sad and tired to fight. The last few nights have been hell. He hasn't been able to sleep since Betty left him at his dad trailer.

"It's complicated." He mutters hoping his friend will just drop it. They've both been friends with Betty for a long time. He knows that Archie loves Betty too. Not in the same way he does. No one could ever love Betty as much as he does. Still, if the situation was reversed. He would be doing the same thing.

"You know you're not good enough for her, right?" Archie asks his mouth a hard set line. This makes his snap up and he glares at him. Hearing his friend say that makes his blood run cold.

"Yeah, I know." Jughead says sliding out of the booth. Before he does something stupid, like punch out the only friend he has ever had.

Angry he walks down the street. Archie is right, he isn't good enough for Betty. He's always known that. No one is good enough for Betty, not even Archie. Betty's the most perfect human being in the world. Even when she shows him what she thinks are her imperfections. It only makes her more perfect to him in his mind.

As he walks it starts to rain. At first he thinks he is walking to his foster parents place. When he passes the bus stop, he thinks his feet are taking him to his father's trailer. When he passes the park he knows his feet are taking him where his brain has been focused all along. Down the familiar street in front of the familiar house. He stops in front and shakes the water out of his eyes. The house looks dark, but he sees a light around the side, shining from her bedroom. His feet and his heart knew where he would end up all along. Even if this is the end he knows he needs to see her one last time. Even the last words he hears from her are goodbye. The last words she hears from him will be, I've always loved you.

Betty

Betty wishes she had been dating Jughead longer, before everything went to hell. Instead of wasting her time last year mooning over Archie. That she had realized what was right in front of her. She finds herself wishing that she had paid more attention to him in the over the years.

Sometimes she can't believe that she used to be annoyed by him. When they first met she hated it when he would take Archie's attention away from her. She remembers asking Archie why he played with the pale dark haired odd kid. Archie would always tell her it was because he was cool. That there dad's were friends. In class he barely spoke and when Betty would try to play with him while he was at his house he would ignore her. Archie said that's just how he was.

Then when they were in second grade two girls were teasing Jughead on the playground. Making fun of his clothes singing a mean song about him. Betty stopped it, yelling at the girls to leave him alone. From then on Jughead would talk to her. Along with Archie they became a threesome. Even if privately Betty used to think Jughead was just a tagalong.

As the years went on Betty began to love Archie even more. Wish that Jughead would leave them alone more often. That maybe something would finally happen between them if it was just the two of them. In a way she had been right. Only it was Archie who began to leave her alone with Jughead. Leave her alone when she needed him the most. Leaving Jughead to be the one to comfort and guide her the way Archie used to.

Then love had grown. Not all once. It wasn't like with Archie were loving him had been mindless. Like it was ingrained in her DNA. Nor was it like Veronica described it, like tumbling over a cliff head first. It was a slow beautiful progression like a flower blossoming.

It could be said that a murder made them fall in love. In a way that was true. First it was his writing that drew her in. Jughead never got the best grades in school. Not because he wasn't intelligent. In many ways he was smarter than she would ever be. Jughead just didn't care to play the never turned in homework. He only excelled in the things he was interested in. Like his writing, which was better than anything she could do. His voice was unique and compelling, it pulled you in and kept reading.

Then the more they were together the more she noticed about him. Like how he always listened to her, as if she had all the answers. He never acted like she was she was weird or crazy for wanting to investigate the Jason's murder. She noticed how his eyes were a grayish blue, like the sky just before a storm. How he liked to stand close to her. Bordering on being invasive, if had been anyone else she would have had a discussion about personal space. With him she didn't mind. His presence was solid and calming. Jughead had become her rock. Only saying he was her rock implied all he did was just stand there. Jughead did so much more. He was her sounding board, her sleuthing partner, her best friend.

Then he climbed in her window and kissed her. Betty knew the moment their lips touched, that he was much more than a friend. All the little things that had piled up making her like him. Tumbled all over her. Betty had kissed before, but it had never felt like that before. Kissing him was like floating and falling all at the same time.

Betty thought she had been in love with Archie. She realizes now she had been wrong. It wasn't love that she had felt. It was just a crush, a puppy love infatuation. She had loved his looks, his kindness, the picture of them that she had created in her head. The idea of what it would be like being with him had become more important than being with him.

After being with Jughead she knows how silly she had been. Trying to paste their lives together in this perfect collage. When in reality she and Archie would never fit. Archie was sweet but, he wasn't the brightest at times. The older they got the less they had to talk about. Jughead challenged her intellectually. Betty could talk to Jughead for hours. He was a good listener and he always had an interesting perspective. He was everything she never knew she wanted. And now she may be losing him forever.

Jughead was at Southside High now, he had accepted his father's Serpents jacket. Which he told her he only did to protect her. That if he had refused they would hunt him down. Then because he cared about her they would hunt her down too. That he would do anything if it meant keeping her safe, she meant more to him than anything in the world. Betty believed him, they look he had given her had sent chills down her spine. Still, she needed time to process everything. She asked him to give her some space until she had processed it all.

She had come to the conclusion while alone in her room writing in her diary. That no matter what happened she loved him. That she wouldn't stop loving him. That she had to trust him that he wasn't starting down the road to a dark and destructive path. All he had ever done was show her that he was trustworthy. Now all she could do was trust him and love him as much as she could. If he would still have her. She is about to call him when she hears the clink of a ladder outside her window. She rushes to it to see Jughead climbing up. She opens the window and pulls him inside.

"I know you said you needed your space." he says once he's inside. He's soaking wet from the rain that pelting the window.

"Forget what I said." Betty says hugging him close to her. Not caring that he's getting her all wet.

"Good, because the other option was to stand under your window with a boombox. An effective statement but a poor choice in this weather." he says grinning at her, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes.

"No need to Say Anything me. If you hadn't come over I was about to cave and call you." Betty admits wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms wind around her waist holding her tighter. He leans down and kisses her softly,

"I love you." he tells her when he breaks away. " I love you so much, I would do anything to protect you. I would die for you, Betty… without hesitation I would." he says seriously looking into her eyes with such intensity makes her knees shake.

"We aren't going to have to resort to going all Montague and Capulet." Betty teases and he scoffs.

"You know how much I hate Romeo and Juliet." he says making a face and she laughs.

"Would you prefer Westley and Buttercup?"

"In this situation, yes." he sighs pulling her to the bed and sitting down with her. "You know I would take us away from here if I could." he tells her looking at her pained.

"I know you would." Betty whispers and she leans into him and kisses him. The kiss deepens and she pulls him down so that they are lying side by side on the bed.

"I'm getting your bed all wet." he tells her in between kisses.

"So, take your clothes off." she tells him lifting the hem off his shirt.

"What about your parents?" he asks worried.

"They aren't home. They took Polly to a specialist in New York. They are staying there overnight." Betty tells him and he looks at her wide eyed.

"You mean I could have came in through the front door like a normal person?" and Betty nods her head and giggles.

"This way was more romantic." she says and he sits up and pulls off his shirt. Betty is speechless, the last time she had seen him shirtless had been far too short. She could look at him like this for hours. "You're beautiful." she gasps and he ducks his head embarrassed then he pulls her up and takes off her wet shirt. Then unhooks her bra and pulls it off her shoulders.

"You are the beautiful one." he tells her as he trails kisses down her shoulders to he breasts. Lost in the sensations she arches her back into him, as her hands seek the buttons on his black jeans. "Are you sure?" he whispers as he pulls his jeans off and she nods.

Back in his trailer, she had not been sure. Even if the Serpents had not come knocking. Betty knows that she would have stopped it. That she would have chickened out and not gone all the way. Now it felt right. She knows that if she does'nt make love to him now, she will regret it the rest of her life. That there will never be an opportunity like this again. There is only one thing she wants to know before they go any farther. No matter what he says it won't change her mind. It's more out of curiosity than anything.

"Jughead?" she asks.

"Hmmhmm?" he asks his face buried in her neck. Almost making her forget her question.

"Have you ever done this before?" he stops and looks into her eyes with a sly expression. "It's just that…" she stammers under the intensity of his gaze. "You're always so private. I never knew if you had a girlfriend or not… before…" she finishes starting to blush.

"Have you?" he asks framing her head with her arms.

"No, but you know that. Everyone knows that."

"Betty you are my first everything… " he tells her kissing her.

"Really?" she asks awed.

"Really. Can I tell you something that might make you think I'm crazy?"

"Crazier than I already think you are?" she teases as he rolls off her and lays on his back covering his eyes with his arm.

"Definitely." he sighs. "Betty, I have been in love you my whole life. Since the first moment I laid eyes on you, you had my heart. I used to be to scared to talk to you. You were so beautiful, I thought you looked like an angel. Then you rescued me from Cheryl and Josie and I became obsessed with you. I knew you would never feel the same way about me. That you were Archie's girl. Still I vowed that you would be the only girl for me. That if I couldn't be with you, then I wouldn't be with anyone. A promise I have kept. So you think I am a creep and you are about to kick me out of your bed now, right?" He says keeping his arm draped over his eyes and peeking out shyly. Betty tries to pry his arm up but it won't budge. So climbs on top of him. Straddling his hips between her legs. She bends down and plants kisses all over his face.

"Buggy, that's the sweetest thing I have ever heard." she tells him kissing his mouth. "It only makes me love you even more." This makes him move his arm from eyes.

"I still can't believe that you love me. It feels like a dream." he says sitting up.

"It's not a dream." Betty sits up and removes the rest of their clothing then settles back down on his lap, moving him inside her. Making them both cry out.

"Did I hurt you?" he asks concerned and she shakes her head no as she kisses him again and rocks gently against him.

"No, it feels good." she assures him. They make love slowly, learning each other's rhythms. Testing what each other like. Until they are both sated and exhausted. It's late and Betty his curled against him, wearing only his shirt. Holding onto him tightly.

"Do you want me to go?" he asks her. "I don't want to get you in trouble."

"No, stay," she begs him sleepily. "They won't be back until the morning."

"I don't think I could walk home right now anyways." he tells her yawning. Then he kisses her head and she pulls the blanket tighter around them.


End file.
